Recently, a student from BHU first year, Sweta (name changed) talked to me about her mood swings. She claims her mood swings are sometimes so extreme that it makes her worry about its interference on her own functioning in everyday life.
Mood swings are a part of most people’s lives. Every teenager like Sweta, adults and even I at some point of my life wondered if I have a serious mood swing problem. But then we all question if we are over thinking this matter and calm ourselves down. In between a humdrum life and busy schedule, can we have a serious mood disorder that may be any phase of Bipolar disorder passing through manic episode to depressed one?
What psychology says?
A mood swing is simply a noticeable change in one’s mood or emotional state. Mood swings are not a person’s fault, nor can time always heal these kinds of issues on its own. Neither Sweta nor her age can be blamed for her mood swings; her urge to ditch a pre-made plan or her disinterests in attending classes all of a sudden.
However, the degree of mood swing can vary from less severe to intense. Psychology says, mood swings that aren’t linked to a specific disorder generally come and go as a natural part of a person’s life or can be a part of person’s personality.
So, make it look easy!
Going through her behavior, I found the best way to identify mood swing triggers is to keep on the lookout for times when our mood start changing significantly from what it was earlier in the day: tracking back our steps about what food, drinks, or activities that we were engaged in. Tracing this pattern in a journal or even online can help us identify the things that precede a possible mood swing, helping us to avoid these triggers in the future.
What causes mood swings?
Exactly what causes mood swings is not yet known. It is believed that a person’s mood is somehow influenced by chemical reactions in the brain. Thus, rapid mood shifts can be the result of chemical imbalance. Mood can also be affected by sleep, diet, medication, and other lifestyle factors, and shifts in these may affect the stability of a person’s mood.
Moreover, individuals facing changes or difficulties in life are more likely to face sudden, unexplained changes in mood. For example, many teenagers experience frequent and varied mood swings. Issues regarding identity, self-image, and acceptance may contribute to these emotional changes. A person who is under a significant amount of stress can also have a greater chance of experiencing mood swings. When a person gets into high level of stress, even a small trigger can lead to abrupt shifts in mood.
Managing mood swings
In the first place, tracing mood facilitates a greater understanding of shifts and changes in emotions. Keeping a track of good journaling can help to notice patterns in the mood shifts as well as potential triggers that can affect the mood.
Exercise produces endorphin’s, which are hormones that control stress and improve mood. Even moderate exercise relieves frequent or abrupt changes in mood.
Maintaining a schedule can be helpful. Doing things at the same time every day can regulate emotional highs and lows.
Furthermore, sleep can help improve mood. Sleep deprivation, which affects appetite and energy level, also causes sadness, irritability, and general lowness of mood.
Above all, nutrition is considered to be a vital component to mood management. Getting enough nutrients and avoiding the consumption of large amounts of sugar, alcohol and caffeine reduces the frequency of mood swings.
No doubt, mood swings makes you feel like you are on an emotional roller-coaster: one moment you are at the top of the track, the next you are plunging downwards at break-neck speed. You feel like you’ve lost control, and have no idea which direction you will be travelling the next. Moody people are often found more baffling to those with steadier emotions.
Even so, scientists argue that mild to moderate mood swings as seen in sulking teenagers, grumpy spouses, or bad tempered parents serve an important purpose. Rather than a weakness, they are nature’s way of helping us adapt to an ever changing world.